Psalm 119:105

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet, and a light for my path.”

Today, we will pack for camp. There is much excitement in our home, but there is also some fear and insecurity. Camp is a big step for children, and mine are no exception. My youngest said yesterday, “I wake up and am so excited, but at night time, i get afraid.”

It is true that there is something about the dark that can bring our fears to life. It is at the end of the day, when fatigue and quiet settle in that there is room for doubt and loneliness.

My oldest has had difficulty sleeping this week, and has been plagued by bad dreams. Weird dreams about camp. By Wednesday evening, the worry was beginning to catch up with her. Her only fear is not getting a bottom bunk in the cabin with her sister and friend. After that is settled, she will be fine as she is going into her third year as a camper.

But, it is a pretty big hurdle. The kids get on a chartered bus that heads up to the mountains. There is so much energy. When they reach the campus, they shoot out of the bus and make a mad dash to the cabins to claim their bed for the week.

One night this past week, my daughter was ‘off’ due to her anxiety. My husband looked at me with a look that asked, “you’re a girl….what is going on?”  I told him that they were just worried about the ‘unknown’s of camp.’ We talked about it a bit, but did not have any answers.

After they went upstairs, i prayed quietly for the girls. I prayed that God would be with them both in the unknown’s of life. That in their doubt and fear, He would simply become bigger, so that they would not feel alone.

About 30 mins later, while i was sitting at my computer, i heard footsteps that came bounding down the stairs. We are not ‘bounding’ people in general, and we’re certainly not at night. My oldest came around the corner holding her Bible very excited and almost laughing in amazement. She said, “Mom, look at this.”

She stuck her Bible in my face and then pointed to a verse newly highlighted.

Proverbs 16:1 NLT “We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer.”

I’m not really sure how this spoke directly to her fears and gave her comfort. But, her face radiated a new sense of security and trust, that God was listening to her and was near. She had found ‘a light for her path’.